Review: L.A. Burdick Robert Burns Collection

What do you give a whisky lover as a romantic gift? Well, you can give him whisky… or you can give him whisky-infused chocolates.

Recently it was suggested (or rather I was accused) of enjoying whisky confections more than the whisky itself (not true, I swear), and reader John Bratincevic turned me on to this collection of Scotch-infused chocolates released for Robert Burns’ birthday (January 25) from New Hampshire-based L.A. Burdick. The company was kind enough to send a sample box my way, and I’m going to tell you, if you can get them (they’re limited release confections), do it.

These aren’t those cheap, foil-wrapped Cointreau and Kahlua cordials your grandma used to give you once you were in your 30s. This is the real deal: A 1/2 pound box of truffles and bonbons flavored with Lagavulin, Macallan, Talisker, Springbank, Highland Park, and Glenfarclas — some of my favorite names in Scotch whisky.

The assortment spans 7 different items (only one is an unnamed “honey whiskey”), with about four to six pieces of each. Picking a favorite is tough. They are all wonderful. But if pressed, I’d go with the Highland Park (dark ganache with scent of grapefruit) and, surprisingly, the Talisker (currant-hazelnut ganache), both of which are complemented beautifully by the hints of fruit added to the ganache.

You can really taste the whisky in all of these confections — though the still let the chocolate shine through — and the bonbons are small enough to allow you to eat three or four without feeling disgusting afterward. All of these truffles are fabulous solo, and are even better with whisky — either their namesakes or something else.